Unexpected (REWRITTEN)
by sadandtired
Summary: (THIS IS A UPDATED REWRITTEN VERSION OF MY OLD STORY 'UNEXPECTED') Marina is an assistant at Peabody industries. She feels lost in this big new world of New York city and having mental illnesses don't make adjusting any easier. With the help of Mr. Peabody, however, she learns how to love herself and maybe even him along the way. HUMAN AU (leave reviews!)
1. Chapter 1

Marina was a simple person. At least, that's how she wanted to think of herself. She was 25 years old in her last year of college, majoring in photography. Currently, she was living in New York City as she had an internship on the weekends. College hasn't been a smooth experience for Marina. Actually, quite on the contrary. She took two years off of college, falling behind all of her friends who later graduated, leaving her depressed and confused.

But right now, however, she feels that this internship is the right step forward that will lead her to a successful career. However, living in New York isn't as glamorous and easy as they make it in the movies. It's loud, crowded, and hard to adapt to. Especially if you are someone who grew up in a small southern town. Not to mention, everything is so expensive. It's ridiculous! Honestly, who has that kind of money? Obviously people do or else it wouldn't be so damn crowded. But Marina wasn't rolling in cash.

In fact, Marina has been working at Peabody Industries in order to get some extra cash. Not to mention that too much free time is damaging to her mental health. Too much time to overthink. That would drive anyone crazy. Or maybe she's just the crazy one.

Sighing, Marina sat in her car, trying to motivate herself to walk into work. It's not that she disliked her job necessarily. Just her boss. Not Mr. Peabody, no she has never met him. Ms. Adams, Marina was her assistant of sorts.

It seemed like Ms. Adams had a sick interest in making Marina's work life a living hell. You see, Marina was far from skinny. Chubby even. Which Ms. Adams was very keen on not letting her forget. Poking fun at her, figuratively and literally, making fun of what she ate (even if it wasn't unhealthy) and just generally being an indecent person. Lovely.

Marina opened her car door, stepping out and walking towards the entrance of the industries. As she made her way to the elevator she ran into Ms. Adams. Speak of the devil. Oddly enough, however, she wasn't dressed in her usual 'prim and proper' business attire. Actually, the complete opposite. White t-shirt, ripped jeans. Though she still looked very classy and expensive as she wore a full face of makeup and lots of jewelry.

Marina cocked her head at the woman, obviously confused. Ms. Adams scoffed. "I meant to tell you yesterday that me and the hubby are going on vacation to Canada for a couple of weeks. Which means you are going to be bringing the reports up to the boss for me." She said, poking Marina's stomach to accentuate the 'you'.

Marina curled over, wringing the strap of her purse. It took her a minute to comprehend what she even said. But then it hit her. "W-wait. The boss? Do you mean Mr. Peabody directly?" She nervously asked, voice trembling.

Ms. Adams groaned. "You really are a stupid cow aren't you?" She rubbed her forehead, obviously annoyed. "Yes! Obviously I mean Mr. Peabody. And you better leave as good as an impression you can. Do not mess this up for me."

Marina sighed, closing her eyes. "Yes ma'am."

Ms. Adams let out a 'hmph' and spun around, causing her long auburn hair to flutter around her shoulders. Once she was out of sight Marina turned around and began walking back towards the elevator. ' _You have got to be kidding me.'_

Once she reached her floor she made her way to her cubicle. Plopping down her coat and purse she sat into her chair, leaning back and letting out a light groan of annoyance. Turning on her computer she began finishing up some reports. As she was about to finish she heard someone walk up to her desk. Looking up she saw the familiar redhead, Amanda. She smiled.

"Hey, I was wondering if you were almost done with those papers." She asked.

Marina's smile faltered. "Ah, yeah actually. I am almost done."

"Cool, just run them up to Peabody when you're done." Amanda began to turn around but Marina interrupted her.

"How do I even go to see him? I mean...where do I even go?" She stuttered out.

Amanda gave her a soft smile, placing her hand gently on Marina's shoulder. "Just go to the top floor penthouse. He will take care of the rest." She spun around and walked off.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Marina muttered to herself. Shrugging it off she printed off her reports and began making her way to the elevator. The trip up seemed to take an eternity, she shuffled back and forth inside the small space. Finally, the bell ringed, letting her know that she arrived.

Walking out she began smoothing down her pencil skirt and dress shirt. "Hello?" She called out into the seemingly empty apartment. "I was told to send this report to you…I'm sorry if I'm not supposed to be here." Nothing.

As she was turning around to leave she heard footsteps coming her way. Facing forward again, she was met with the sight of Mr. Peabody. He was looking down at his shirt sleeves, adjusting them.

"Please do excuse my delayed appearance Ms. Ada-" He began, looking up only to meet Marina's grey eyes. "Oh...You aren't Ms. Adams." He said, cocking his head to the side.

Marina wiped her wide eye stare off her face as she gathered herself. "N-no. I'm Marina...Marina Goodwin. I'm her assistant. I was told to give this to you." She said, prying her hand with the paper in it from her grip around her torso. Gulping down the lump in her throat she eyed him nervously, barely making eye contact. It was very obvious she was nervous. And it was very obvious, to Marina at least, that she was about to have an anxiety attack.

Peabody wore a worried expression. "Miss Goodwin, may I ask if you are ok?"

Marina's eyes widened, if that was even possible, stretching her hands out to frantically wave them and shake her head. "Y-yes sir, sorry sir. I will be going now. Have a good day." She was about to walk into the elevator until Mr. Peabody called out to her.

"Leaving so soon? Could I interest you in some tea?"

"Oh." Marina looked down unsure how to react. "Yes please. That would be nice."

"Fantastic! Take a seat and I will prepare the tea."

She shuffled towards the couch by the coffee table, wrapping her arms around herself as she sat down. She grimaced as her clothes rippled into rolls, reminding her of how insecure she was.

Walking out of the kitchen with two mugs in his hand he made his way towards to Marina. "Here you go." He said with a smile.

She unlatched her hands from around her torso and reached for the cup. As she did, Peabody noticed her shaking.

"Are you sure you are ok?" He asked.

Unsure of what to say, Marina shrugged, inhaling the calming scent of the tea.

"Well then. Why don't you tell me about yourself?" He asked.

Marina looked up, placing the mug onto the table. "Well I'm normally from the south and I attend an art college there. I took a couple years off to focus on myself so all of my friends already graduated. Write now I am taking online classes and working as an intern on the weekends and the rest of the week I'm here." She said lightly.

"Oh? An art major! What are you studying?"

"Photography."

As they continued to talk Marina began to loosen up. She talked about her family and friends and how she did musical theatre in high school. Peabody cracked his usual corny puns and Marina laughed, thoroughly enjoying them. Without even realizing, hours passed. Until Peabody was interrupted by his phone's alarm.

"I apologize to cut this short but I have to pick up my son from school." He said, standing up from the couch.

Marina followed. "It's no problem, I should be going anyways. Thank you for having me." She smiled.

Mr. Peabody smiled back. "It was my pleasure."

Marina began walking towards the elevator to make her departure until she was interrupted by Peabody. "Miss Goodwin, I was wondering if you would like to join me here for dinner tonight."

Marina gave him a grin as she began to feel giddy. She never really hit it off with people so easily so having him invite her back was exciting. She gave him a crooked smile, causing Peabody to break out into a wide grin. "I would love too. Is 8 o'clock ok?"

"Perfect."


	2. Chapter 2

Once Marina left, Peabody began to gather his keys and coat to pick up Sherman. Hopping into the elevator, he made his way to the lobby. Walking outside he was met with a brisk, cold gust of wind. It was the end of November and this was by far the coldest day of the new winter season.

He climbed onto his moped and made his way towards Sherman's school. Once he arrived he was quickly and enthusiastically greeted by his son. He bounded towards the vehicle, swinging his book bag onto the side car and climbed in.

"Hi Mr. Peabody! I'm sure glad you got here when you did because I was starting to get pretty cold." Sherman said, rubbing his arms for emphasis. Peabody gave him a soft smile as he pulled off his own coat and placed it around his son's shoulders. He made a mental note to switch their mode of transportation to their car due to the dropping temperatures.

"How was your day at school?" Peabody asked, starting up the moped to make his way back home.

"It was fantastic! We got to watch a video of someone dissecting a frog and I took a bunch of notes!" He stated proudly, patting his back pack for emphasis.

"That's wonderful Sherman." He said with a smile. "I assume that this is as good as time as ever to tell you that we are having a guest over this evening."

"Is it the Petersons?"

"Guess again."

"Oh...Is it the president this time?" Sherman asked, becoming slightly confused.

"Nope."

"Huh...then who is it?"

"A woman who works at the industries. She made a rather good impression on me and seems very nice. So I invited her over for dinner."

Sherman slumped in his seat. "So I guess you guys are going to be talking about boring work stuff?"

"Not necessarily." Peabody didn't want to admit, especially not out loud, but he invited Marina over because she seemed endearing and he liked her presence. He wasn't usually the person to open up to new people and very rarely made close friendships. So having someone over solely to chat and exchange pleasantries was odd for him.

Sherman gave his father a smug look. "Oooh Mr. Peabody do you like her?" He teased.

"Don't be ridiculous, we just met. It's impossible to develop feelings for someone that quickly." Peabody scoffed.

Sherman shifted his sight to the road in front of him and made a mocking 'mhm'.

Marina looked at her clock, it was 6. Since she assumed that it would take her a while to rummage through her clothes and find a suitable outfit, not to mention having to eventually make her way to the penthouse. She clicked her tongue as she looked through her closet. Making an 'aha' noise she grabbed a sweater and a jean skirt.

Quickly she switched her clothes and threw on a pair of boots. She touched up her makeup and ruffled her hair. Looking in the mirror she gave herself a self approving nod.

When she arrived to the industries she suddenly noted how weird it was arriving at this location without being filled with dread. She got out and locked her car, quickly shuffling into the building to escape from the cold. A skirt was not the best decision in the long run. Cute but not practical.

She walked into the ever so familiar elevator, bouncing on her toes in excitement. Yeah...this was a drastic change from her usual mood when she went to work. Except...she wasn't going to work. She was meeting up with a friend. And not just any friend, a genius. A world renowned one at that. Who would have thought he would talk to someone like her?

The elevator let out a ding, tearing her from her thoughts. She walked out and was met by a young redheaded boy in the living area. Marina gave him a big smile.

"Hello there!" She exclaimed, walking towards the couch he was sitting on.

"Oh! Hi there Miss Goodwin! I'm Sherman." He introduced, pointing towards his chest.

"Honey, you don't have to call me Miss Goodwin." She giggled. "Marina is just fine."

"Ok Miss Marina! Mr. Peabody wanted me to tell you to meet him in the kitchen over there." He pointed.

She smiled at the boy and made her way towards the door that supposedly lead to the kitchen. Opening the door, her senses were flooded with a delicious aroma.

"Smells great!" She announced.

Without looking up he gave a small smile and responded. "I hope you like Japanese food."

Marina gave a mischievous grin to herself. "Ah! Watashi wa nihon no tabemono ga daisuki desu!"

Peabody's head shot up, a look of shock on his face. "You speak Japanese?"

She giggled, covering her mouth as she did. "I took some classes in high school."

He chuckled lightly. "Do you mind helping Sherman with setting the table as I finish this up?"

"Of course, sir." She said, walking closer towards him.

It was at this moment when he took account of Marina's appearance. "Miss Goodwin, may I say that you look lovely this evening?" He said with a smile.

"Oh…" Marina looked down, blushing lightly. She scoffed slightly and waved him off. "No, I'm not anything special."

He was about to protest but he was interrupted by a very hungry Sherman.

"Mr. Peabody, is dinner almost ready? I'm starving!" He exclaimed.

Marina and Peabody chuckled at his outburst. "Why don't you go help Miss Goodwin set the table when I finish up everything?" Peabody said, turning towards the stove.

"Yes sir!" Sherman saluted.

Marina laughed as she followed the child into the dining room. Sherman faced her, wringing his hands sheepishly.

"Would you be ok doing the dishes? I always get nervous I'll drop them." He admitted. Marina smiled and gave a small nod.

Just as Sherman and Marina finished setting up the table, Peabody brought out the meal. It was at that moment Marina's stomach dropped in realization. She was going to have to eat in front of them. When she was in high school she struggled with an eating disorder due to being bullied. So with that plus Ms. Adams' daily mocking she was generally scared of eating in front of people.

She picked at her food, resisting not to shove it in her mouth. She never ate at work and only usually had fruit for breakfast and a small dinner. She was really hungry and her stomach screamed to be fed. But she couldn't do it. Her heart was pounding to the point where she could hear it ringing in her head. Almost as if it was mocking her.

Noticing her nervous behavior, Peabody began to grow increasingly worried. She was acting strange earlier when they first met and now she won't eat. "Miss Goodwin? Are you feeling alright? You barely touched your food. Do you not like it"

No response.

Marina blinked back tears, swallowing thickly and trying not to have an anxiety attack right in front of her boss. She used every fiber of her being to not break down into hysterics and humiliate herself.

She blinked slowly, allowing one tear to slide down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly. At this point even Sherman was noticing Marina's odd change in mood.

"I-I um...I have to go." She choked out, quickly picking up her coat and purse. Leaving Sherman and Peabody confused and worried.


	3. Chapter 3

Marina ran out of the building, wiping away her tears. The cold air bit at her skin as she made her way to the parking garage. Once she get to her car she hopped inside and began sobbing. This is so humiliating. How could she ever go back to work again? She could never show her face to him again. She slammed her head onto her steering will, earning a startling honk.

Arriving home she didn't bother to remove her makeup, she just changed into pajamas and fell into bed. Falling asleep into a dreamless slumber. Suddenly, she was jolted awake by her alarm. Groggily she dragged herself out of bed, making her way to her bathroom. Looking in the mirror she was met with a mascara stained face and puffy eyes. Sighing, she washed her face, not bothering to reapply makeup.

The drive to the industries seemed to be a blur. One moment she was in traffic, the other she was mindlessly typing on her computer. Noticing the sound of someone walking up to her desk she looked up. It was Amanda.

"Hey, Marina." She said, but faltered when she got a good look at Marina. "Are you ok?"

Marina scoffed, brushing a piece of hair behind her ear. "Fantastic."

"Don't take this the wrong way, love. But you look like you have had a rough night." Amanda stated, worry plastered on her face. Marina sighed and nodded her head, agreeing with her point. "Did you have a break up?"

Marina laughed. As if anyone would go out with her. Yeah right. "More like a break down."

"Elaborate?"

"I humiliated myself in front of someone because I have non existent self confidence."

Amanda eyed her coworker with worry. "Okay then...Hey, can you take something up to Mr. Peab-" She was abruptly cut off by Marina.

"No, I can't. Ask Kaitlynn to do it or something." Marina said curtly, turning her attention back to her work.

Amanda stood there, rather shocked. Marina wasn't the type of person to snap. It was obvious she was having a difficult time. "If you need anything just let me know." She only earned a quiet 'mhm' in response.

At long last the work day ended. Marina arrived home feeling drained. Dropping her purse and coat on the floor she walked sluggishly to her couch. She face planted onto the soft surface, feeling herself slip into some much needed rest.

She was suddenly awaken from the loud knocks on her door. Still hazy from waking up, she stumbled towards the door, making useless attempts to flatten the short curls on her head. With a sigh she opened the door, being met with the figure of Mr. Peabody. She gawked at him, struggling to find words.

"Good evening, I thought I would check in on you after last night's...debacle. I became worried when I didn't see you today." He said matter of factly.

Blinking back the shock she managed to squeak out, "How did you find me?"

Peabody's usual confident demeanor shifted into a sheepish one. "Well, we keep our employees' contact information so I decided to pay you a visit."

"Why didn't you just call me?"

He chuckled lightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I do suppose that would have been simpler."

Marina ran her hand through her hair, the realization of her appearance dawning on her. "I'm really sorry, I just woke up from a nap. I must look terrible."

Peabody's eyes widened, suddenly feeling guilty for intruding on her. "No you look fine! It was my fault for coming here uninvited. I will be leaving now." He turned and headed to the door but was interrupted by Marina.

"You could stay for a while if you would like. I mean...in return for you being so kind. Would you like any coffee?" She stuttered out, nervously twiddling her thumbs.

"That would be lovely, thank you." He said with a smile. Marina smiled back, turning to head to the kitchen.

"Feel free to take a seat!" She called as she got two mugs from a cabinet.

Peabody began walking around the apartment. It was small, but nice for a person living on their own. It had a small living area with light blue walls and windows facing a city view. Their were pictures hanging all over the walls. Some being photos and some being drawings, which he assumed she drew.

A particular picture caught his eye. It was one with two teenagers in it. One girl was tall and lanky, had long blonde hair and deep brown eyes. The other, who he assumed was Marina due to the freckles, was short and had long curly blue hair.

He was pulled from his thoughts as he hear Marina walk up behind him. "I see you found one of my favorite pictures, sir." She said, a smile obvious in her voice. "That's me and one of my best friends. We met at a summer program for an art school. This was our last picture taken before we went back home."

"When was the last time you saw her?" He inquired.

"Oh man. I dunno, over a year. She graduated before me since I took a couple of years off. We still talk online but I haven't seen her in person for a while." She said with a shrug. "Time sure does fly, sir."

Peabody gave her a light smile. "You do realize you don't have to call me 'sir' right?"

"Oh...What should I call you then?" She asked, looking up at him.

"You can call me Peabody. No need to be so formal."

Marina smiled. "Then you can call me Marina." She said with a laugh. "No need to be so formal." She added, giving him a small smirk.

Peabody chuckled at her. "It's even."


	4. Chapter 4

They both smiled at each other, standing in comfortable silence. Marina fidgeted with her fingers and looked down. She could feel her cheeks get hot. It's nice to know someone cared enough to come check in on her.

"I just want to say thank you for coming to visit me today. I have had been having an awful day before you came." Marina said softly, darting her eyes from his to the ground.

"It's no trouble at all, Marina. You are a good person and it wouldn't be right for me to not check in on you." Peabody said gently, giving her a light smile. "Speaking of last night do you mind me asking what was the matter?"

Marina averted her gaze from his, her blood running cold from anxiety. "Well...uh...abou that…" She ran her hands through her hair, searching for a response. What was she supposed to say? _Oh yeah I am really depressed and I ask almost every day if it's worth it to go into work and get teased by my boss. Not to mention I have had mental problems my whole life, both related and not related to my body. Yep, fantastic. Have you pity me. Just what I need._ Yeah right.

"Marina, call it father's instinct, but I can tell when something is wrong." He said, trying to coax an answer out of her.

"I-I don't know how to say it…"

"How so?"

"Everything is so jumbled up and crazy inside. It's like everything is screaming at once and my thoughts are tangled in this knot of thread. I keep trying to hide it, to present myself as if I'm ok. But I'm scared and-" Marina blinked, allowing her tears to slide down her cheeks. "I don't know what to do."

Peabody watched as she began to melt into a fit of tears. He was at a loss of words. He knew he had to say something...do something. But what? He was Mr. Peabody! He _always_ knew what to do. However, emotional issues were never his strong hold. Of course when a lovely person like Marina began crying he was at a loss.

Marina wiped under her eyes, sniffling and trying to regain her composure. "I'm sorry. I understand if you don't want to talk to me. I'm just hassle to be around. Most people leave me anyways."

Those words made his heart ache. There were many reasons why he wanted to talk and be around her. Why would someone leave an obviously hurting friend who was so kind? Without giving himself the chance to second guess himself he pulled her into a hug. Marina slightly stiffened for a moment from shock. But allowed herself to melt into the hug. Wrapping her arms around Peabody's torso and buried her face in his chest.

Peabody could feel his heart speed up and his stomach do flips. _Why am I feeling this way?_ Slowly, Marina's crying began to diminish into small hiccups. However, her arms never faltered from their position around Peabody. She took in deep breaths, trying to even out her breathing. Finally, she removed her grip from Peabody's waist. She looked up into his green eyes and smiled.

Peabody smiled softly back, bringing down a hand to wipe away tears from her cheek. They looked at each other and exchanged smiles until they were brought out of the silence by Peabody's phone ringing. Slightly startled, Peabody fumbled to get his phone out of his pocket. Looking at his phone he saw that it was Sherman.

"Hello, Sherman. Is everything alright?" He asked.

"Hello, Mr. Peabody!" Sherman said happily. "Ms. Peterson wanted to know if she should take me home or if you are going to pick me up."

Peabody mentally face palmed. How could he forget that Sherman was over at Penny's? "Please tell Ms. Peterson that I will pick you up."

"Ok! I will see you soon." Sherman said as he hung up.

"I apologize, Marina. I am afraid I forgot Sherman was over at his friend's house. I assume I will see you tomorrow?" Peabody said as he walked towards the door.

"I won't be seeing you tomorrow. Saturday is my day off." Marina said softly, following behind Peabody.

"Oh." He said, slightly disappointed. "Well that is ok. I will see you when you come back to work then."

"Well...maybe, if you want," Marina began nervously. "You, Sherman and I can go get dinner tomorrow. Then you can come back here to watch movies." She finished with a small smile.

"I would love to take you up on that dinner offer. However, I don't want to intrude in on your home."

Marina giggled and looked at Peabody with a twinkle of excitement in her eyes. "It's no problem! I would love to have you both over." She said with a wave of her hand. "I think having you over will help us get to know each other more."

"Well alright then. I will let Sherman know when I pick him up. What time should we head over to go out?"

"Five o'clock is fine. That way we can get there before the dinner rush."

Peabody smiled at Marina's excitement. "I look forward to it. See you tomorrow."

"See ya! Thanks for everything." She replied, giving him a wholesome smile. Closing the door behind him she let out a small sigh of relief and hope. _I guess everything worked out in the end._ She thought with a smile. With that, she headed to her room and threw on some pajamas and drifted into a sweet sleep.

Peabody arrived at the Peterson's apartment and walked up to the door. With three knocks he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. The door opened, revealing Ms. Peterson with a sweet smile.

"There you are, Peabody! We were worried if you would ever come." She said with a light giggle.

"Forgive me Ms. Peterson, I was at a friend's house and completely lost track of time." He said sheepishly.

Ms. Peterson waved her hand. "It's not a problem. Please come in! It's quite chilly out tonight." She said with her usual chipper tone, letting Peabody in. "Let me get Sherman for you. I'm sure he is exhausted." She climbed the stairs and disappeared around a corner. In a matter of seconds, red hair peaked from behind the wall. Sherman walked down the stairs sluggishly, yawning slight,y.

Peabody went up to lift Sherman off his feet and made his way towards the door. Thanking Ms. Peterson he made his way out of the apartment. Heading to his car, he opened the door and gently placed his son in the seat and buckled him. At this point Sherman was fast asleep and had his head laid on the seat belt, causing his glasses to lay askew. Peabody smiled looking back at him and made his way home.


	5. Chapter 5

Marina woke up to the delightful sight of sun shining through her sheer curtains. The low sound of her radio mumbled in the background, creating a calming environment. She rubbed her eyes and relished in the warmth of her bed. At this moment in time nothing could make her feel discontent. She was able to appreciate the simple pleasures of waking up and for once feel rested.

Swinging her legs over the side of her bed she stretched and let her back pop. She stood up and headed to her bathroom slowly, still waking up. Looking in the mirror she rubbed her face and ran a hand through her short, messy bed head. Removing her pajamas she hopped into the welcoming warmth of the shower. She sighed at the contact of the hot water.

She proceeded to hum random tunes, dreaming up songs she will probably never write down. Stepping out of the shower and wrapping herself in a towel, she made her way to her bed room to decide what to wear.

At this point Peabody has already been up for a while. Deciding that now would be a suitable time to begin breakfast he headed to the kitchen to start cooking.

Sherman was awakened by the sweet scent of pancakes and bacon. Brushing off any previous grogginess he jumped out of bed and rushed to the kitchen. Slightly startled, Peabody heard the rushing footsteps of someone making their way to the kitchen. To his relief, however, Sherman barged through the door. He smiled at his son's obvious excitement.

"Good morning. Up already?" Peabody said, laughing lightly.

"Good morning! What smells so good Mr. Peabody?" Sherman gleamed with his usual enthusiasm.

"Considering the fact that tonight is a big night we are having a rather simple breakfast, pancakes and bacon." Peabody responded, flipping a pancake as he did.

"Big night? I didn't know we were doing anything tonight!" Sherman said with a huge smile.

Peabody rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, right. You fell asleep in the car last night." He placed a plate of food in front of Sherman. "Well, Marina invited us to her house and to dinner tonight."

Sherman looked up, a wide smile across his syrup covered face. "Awesome! I really like Miss Marina." Sherman said matter of factly as he shoveled more food into his mouth.

Before Peabody could even sit down to eat, Sherman ran out of the kitchen and into his room to get ready for the day.

Once Marina was finished with her light breakfast and was done getting dressed, she headed to her living room to organize things for when Sherman and Peabody come over. She pulled out some movies that would be appropriate for Sherman, as well as pulling out some extra blankets and pillows.

Satisfied with her work she lied down on the couch and turned on the TV. Flipping through some channels she finally decided on a true crime documentary. Satisfied with her choice she put her head on a pillow and felt herself slip into a nap.

Marina was suddenly jolted from her nap by a knock at the door. With a yawn, she stood up and rubbed under her eyes to get rid of any mascara. Opening the door she was met by the sight of Peabody and a smiling Sherman.

She smiled. "Hey you guys! Come on in." She said as she stepped aside.

Sherman bounded in, obviously excited by the new surroundings. "Your home is very nice Miss Marina!" He said with a large grin.

Marina giggled at Sherman. "I'm glad you think so. Are you guys ready to head out?"

"I believe we are both ready. However, might I recommend that you grab a coat? It is quite chilly out." Peabody said gently.

Marina's eyes lit up with realization. "You're right, Peabody! It has been very cold lately. Excuse me for a minute." She quickly shuffled into her bed room.

Sherman looked up at his father with a knowing grin. "You _do_ like her." He teased.

"What? I was just trying to be friendly." Peabody whispered. Sherman just rolled his eyes with a smile. Marina emerged from around the corner wearing a long brown coat. She smiled at the pair.

"Alright guys let's get this night started!" She cheered. Opening the door she allowed her guests to exit first, following behind them. As they climbed down the stairs she led them to her small car. Unlocking it they all climbed in.

"Do you guys mind if I play some music? I will make sure there are no swear words, of course." She asked, mostly directed at Peabody.

"I don't mind in the least bit. Do you, Sherman?" Peabody asked, turning to face his son.

"I don't mind either!"

"Cool." Marina responded, giving a thumbs up. Clicking a button on her dashboard a song began with piano keys and shifted into vocals.

"Have you ever wanted to disappear? And join a monastery Go out and preach on Manic Street? Who will I be when I wake up next to a stranger On a passenger plane? (Passenger plane)"

Peabody couldn't help but notice Marina mouthing the words and tapping her steering wheel to the beat.

The song began to pick up and Marina bobbed her head. Peabody grinned and admired Marina's smile.

They arrived at the restaurant in which they will be spending their evening. There was no establishment name other than a green neon sign that spelled out 'cafe'. The trio walked inside being welcomed by the enveloping warmth of the restaurant and the smell of comfort food. Alerted by the bell on the door, an older woman with greying hair tied into a bun turned and smiled at Marina.

"Well, Miss Marina! It's been a while." The woman exclaimed, coming up to hug Marina. "How are you, dear?"

Marina smiled and wrapped her arms around the woman. "I'm doing quite alright, Miss Irma."

Breaking the hug she looked at the pair of boys. "Sweetie, introduce me to your friends." Irma said with a smile.

Marina placed a hand on Sherman's shoulder. "This little guy is Sherman." Sherman gave a shy wave.

Irma bent down to Sherman's height. "Well aren't you just a cutie?

Sherman blushed and wringed his hands together. "Thank you."

Marina giggled at Sherman's shyness. "And this is Peabody." She said, lightly placing a hand on Peabody's back.

Irma smirked at them. "Well, aren't you guys the cutest couple? Good job with this one, dear. He is very handsome."

Marina felt her face heat up and placed her hands on her cheeks as she shook her head. Peabody, who was obviously blushing, stared to the side at the suddenly very interesting wall.

Irma only laughed at their reactions. "Oh, alright. I see how it is. Let's go get y'all a table, ok?"

After a brief argument of who would pay for the meal, Peabody being the winner, they thanked Irma for the meal and left.

The drive back to Marina's apartment was short and relaxed, low music playing in the background.

When they arrived back to the apartment complex they entered the much welcomed warm environment of Marina's home.

Shrugging off her coat Marina made her way over to the table that she placed movies on. "So, Sherman. What movie do you want to watch?"

"Do you have the movie Moana?" Sherman asked excitedly.

Marina giggled. "Yes, I do. Is that what you want to watch?"

"Yes, please!"

The trio sat down, Sherman sitting in between Marina and Peabody. The movie proceeded as the group devoted their attention to the animation. Peabody and Sherman would turn and smile at each other whenever Marina hummed the lyrics to any of the songs.

As the movie came to a close, Marina noticed her two guest's drowsy eyes. "Hey I know this is kind of weird but would you guys like to stay over? I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with you driving home so tired."

Peabody yawned as he turned his attention to Marina. "I don't want to be an intrusion."

"It wouldn't be! I don't mind in the least bit." She said with a small smile.

"Ok, but I'm afraid we don't have any of our things with us." He responded.

Marina waved him off. "You guys can borrow some of my pajamas, I mostly wear boy clothes to sleep anyways." She said, slightly embarrassed, as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Plus, I have some extra tooth brushes you can use if you want."

"Well," Peabody began, turning his gaze towards a now half asleep Sherman. "Ok, that sounds good." He said with a smile.

"Alright, let me go get you guys some clothes to wear." She stood up and headed to her room.

Peabody stroked Sherman's hair as he waited for Marina to return. Shortly, she appeared around the corner. She handed Peabody a pair of flannel pants and a t-shirt for him and handed him a pair of young boys pj pants as well as a t-shirt. "My brother came to visit me earlier this year and forgot some of his clothes so I thought this would work."

"Thank you, Marina."

"It's no problem. I'm going to go wash my face and get changed really quick then you guys can go get changed."

"No problem."

After she was done she returned back into the living room. Peabody gently stirred Sherman awake and handed him the clothes. Marina pointed him to the bathroom. "If you want, Peabody. You can go to my room and change."

Feeling himself become increasingly tired and uncomfortable in his day clothes he reluctantly agreed. Walking into Marina's room he took note of it's childish aura. Not that there was anything wrong with it. He just found it particularly humorous that the white walls were covered with drawings and posters of characters from many TV shows. Not to mention an array of stuffed animals on Marina's bed.

As Peabody exited her bedroom he noticed Sherman trudging back to the living room. As they entered the room they noticed Marina setting up a cot for Sherman on the ground. As she finished up, Sherman plopped onto the self made bed and quickly fell asleep. Marina laughed at his behavior and covered him in a couple of blankets. Peabody couldn't help but smile at Marina's motherly instincts kicking in. He watched as she ran her hand through his hair and gently took off his glasses and placed them on a side table. His heart felt warm, a feeling he wasn't used to. What was this feeling?

Marina climbed onto the now blanket and pillow clad couch. Patting next to her she signaled for Peabody to sit next to her. Turning down the volume on the TV as to not awake Sherman she resumed the movie. The pair talked softly to each other. Slowly becoming more and more tired. Marina felt her head slowly bobbing to the side as she slipped into a deep sleep.

"Goodnight…" She muttered softly as she leaned her head against a pillow.

Peabody smiled as he covered her with a thick blanket, making sure to cover her whole body. As well as adjusting the pillow she was leaning on to make sure she didn't hurt her neck. Turning off the TV, Peabody felt himself become enveloped in darkness and listened to the light snoring of Sherman and Marina. His heart swelled with an emotion he could only call...love. Curling up on the couch and laying his head on a pillow he joined the others and fell asleep.


End file.
